Freelance Apple

Sometimes, it can be quite time consuming to work out exactly what you need to be doing with regards to marketing as a freelancer. You could miss out on a crucial technique that may help you in gaining higher quality leads, or an idea that may prove to drastically change the amount of clients requesting work off you.

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your marketing campaign, here are a list of tips and tricks you can follow.

The List

1) Have a catchy, but not necessarily expensive business card which explains exactly who you are and what you do with the necessary contact details on it. Hand them out to everyone, and tell friends and family to pass them around to anyone who may be interested in your services.

2) Have a website to represent your services. This is obvious for those who are freelance web designers/developers, but may not be for other freelance professions. Have your best examples of work on your portfolio section and may be a testimonial or two.

3) Email potential clients, notifying them of your availability to work, and what you’re expertise is.

4) Create a newsletter which people may subscribe to online. All previous clients should be subscribed to it by yourself to induce repeat work. Show some of your recent work on the newsletter, along with a case study write-up or two. Email the newsletter off to everyone bi-weekly/monthly.

5) Register yourself on freelance-related forums and job sites, and post your availability for work there. Have a link to your portfolio on all related forum signatures.

6) Enter related competitions (for example, logo design competitions if you’re a logo designer) to gain exposure.

7) Make cold calls to businesses whom you think may require your services, and ask if they wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

8) Have a blog on your website and write articles which may interest your target demographic, and link back to your website mentioning your skills.

9) Register with Twitter, follow people who you may feel could be interested in  your services and tweet about your work every so often.

10) Offer to re-design a famous blog in return for a link in the footer, or some other compensation which could increase your exposure.

11) Offer discounts and promotions to first time customers and returning customers.

12) Include a ‘coupon’ in the zipped file of finished work before you send it to a client offering discounts on their next project if they choose you.

13) Design fliers advertising your business, print, distribute throughout the neighbourhood.

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